Safe Harbor
by SinfullySimple
Summary: Charles couldn't remover a time outside of the Place. Not really, anyway. But that was okay. He had all he needed right there. Just his friend Erik. They shared everything, no matter what. Well, except the pain during Charles' turns. Charles didn't like to share that. (Cherik AU Enjoy!)


**Hello beautiful people! Welcome back once more! Today I have a very agnsty Cherik AU! I hope you guys enjoy it! it is far from over, but this is what I got. Let me know what you guys think! Thanks!**

* * *

Charles was compliant as the puppets moved to drop him in his cell once more. He didn't know how long he had been gone his time, but it had felt like eternity. Plus he knew that he had been knocked out at some point, but didn't know how long that had been. To be honest, he had no idea how long anything took as there was no way to track time in the forever white facility. Normally he would have used the minds of the people around him to track it, but the people wore helmets that blocked him out somehow. Hence the name "puppets". Charles himself hadn't come up with that name though. His best friend did.

His cell was mostly nothing but concrete with a simple, hard bed in one corner and a toilet and sink in the corner. But, nothing was metal. Nothing in his cell was allowed to be metal. Every wall was concrete except the one to the left of the door when you walked in. That was a see through plastic with small holes all along it just big enough to fit a few fingers through. On the other side of it was his best, and only, friend Erik.

After who knows how long of being in this place, Charles had started to lose his mind. He refused to eat or drink, he wouldn't sleep, and, no matter what they did, he wouldn't do their tests. After hearing and feeling everyone around him, even just they're basic presence, for as long as he could remember having it all suddenly cut off was shocking and harmful to the eight year old.

On the other hand, they had a ten year old metal controller who was basically doing the same thing, but a little differently. He would still do the test they wanted, but he refused to eat, drink, or sleep. Unlike Charles, they couldn't put an IV in him because they would have to use metal. They didn't want to give any chance of escape. Nothing metal could be around him unless it was for a test.

Trying in a desperate move to save both children, the people placed them in the cells they currently reside in. Erik's cell was the same as his with no metal, but putting him in contact with another person, especially one so close to his age, did the trick. After he woke up, that was.

As soon as Charles was dropped in the room next to the older boy for the first time, he instantly latched onto his mind, burrowing as deep as he could and immersing himself. Both he and Erik had been out for three days before they awoke again with a bond stronger than anything Charles had ever felt before. From that point on, the two boys never spoke. Never even had to.

" _Erik,"_ he reached weakly through the bond, hoping his friend would be in his own cell. After having searched his own mind and body, he had found that the puppets had torn into his head this time. He had a long, jagged cut stretching from his right temple and running behind his ear, stretching and curving down then to the base of his skull. He could tell they hadn't stitched it, rather just putting some form of staples to mostly close the gap. Inside he sensed something, but he couldn't tell what it was.

His attention was brought away from his head as he was dropped unceremoniously onto the hard bed. His head hit the unforgiving plastic and sent a sharp, paralyzing pain through his head. Slowly, after the pain ebbed a little, he sat up. Ignoring the dizziness, he slowly looked to his right, through the thick plastic wall and into Erik's cell. It was empty. He was out testing.

Charles, tears rolling silently down his face, dragged himself off the bed, hitting the ground with a thud. Slowly and painfully he used his bruised and battered arms to drag himself over to their corner. What he assumes was a couple months ago, during one of their test when they cut open his back, he had ended up paralyzed from the waist down, making him have to get used to being dragged, or belly crawling using only his arms to prepell him. He knew though that both Erik and himself would need the comfort of each other when the older boy got back. They always did.

Agonizingly, bit by bit, he made his way to their corner. His elbows burned with scratches reopening; old and new bruises forming and being crushed once more, over and over and over. After an eternity he finally made it to the corner, head spinning and stomach more than just unstable. As carefully as he could be, he brought himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the back and side wall to help. He had no idea how long he was there, drifting in a out of consciousness. He was so tired after whatever they had done to him, but he tried to stay as alert as possible. There was something else as well he just couldn't figure out exactly what is was.

* * *

He jolted awake at the sound of a heavy door opening and then inevitably being slammed shut once more. He felt another presence in the room next to him and instantly latched onto it. But it was...dull...numb, in a way. Almost like padding between walls.

" _Erik?"_ He reached out, trying to latch onto his friends consciousness to steady his own. The older boy stirred a bit from his spot on the floor. Charles tried to focus, looking at his only friend closer. He seeed to be completly doused in water, his dark brown hair looking black, and what little cloths he had clung to his small, fragile frame. " _Erik!"_ He tried again, almost yelling mentally. This time, the other boy rolled over, turning to face the see through wall.

" _Charles?"_ His mental voice was fogged with his feelings from whatever they had done to him. By the looks of his memories, tried to drown him. But it was also something else. Again, Charles felt as though something was trying to block their bond.

" _Erik!_ " Charles could barely contain his excitement at seeing his friend moving, awake, and speaking. Well, projecting, that was. Despite the memories and situation that they were in, it had become normal, and they both had agreed not to acknowledge it unless necessary. A brief sense of panic and pain brought him back from his thoughts as Erik turned towards the drain in the middle of his floor and vomited. Most of it was just water, draining away as his friend continued to heave in breaths after he had finished, coughing between gasps for air.

" _Charles!"_ His best friend yelled, panic rising more and more. " _Help!"_ he yelled unconsciously.

" _You have to calm your mind,"_ Charles replied, sending soothing and calming feelings through their bond. " _It's okay now. They're gone. Your safe. I'm here,"_ He continued to repeat the sweet nothings as Erik slowly calmed down. With much effort he reached his hand up, ignoring his protesting muscles, and stuck his three middle fingers through one of the holes in the wall. This hole was right next to their corner, wich made it perfect for a little bit of physical contact.

It had been the only gentle contact they'd had since as long as they could remember.

After a little prompting from Charles, Erik understood what he was trying to do and slowly made his way over to the corner. As the older boy sat down heavily, he gently reached out and meant Charles' fingers with his own. They stayed like that for who knows how long. Enjoying the touch and each other's presence. They even dozed a little. Then suddenly Erik sat bolt upright.

" _What's in your head?"_ He asked wearily, turning to study the side of the younger boy's head with curiosity as well as apprehension.

" _What?"_ Charles replies grogally, haven fallen into a fitful thing that could possibly almost be called sleep.

" _What is in your head?"_ Erik repeated himself, sitting up and turning to study his friend more. He took note of the jagged, half closed wound on his head, and frowned. Obviously if they had been in his head they could have planted something in there before they pulled back out. He could feel some kind of metal in there, like a small plate of it, but he was having a hard time gripping it with his powers. Then it hit him. There was only one other metal that deflected his powers like that.

" _Charles, I think they put the same metal that their helmets are made out of in your head. It's not a lot, but it's definitely there,"_

" _That would explain why you are so muffled,"_ The younger boy said, turning his to look at the brown haired boy more. Briefly, Erik wondered what he had meant by "muffled", but decided to leave it alone. They were quiet for awhile before Charles had an idea. " _Erik...Could you...Can you get it out?"_ He asked, a little hesitant. So many things could happen if he were able to do it. They might even have a chance at escape.

Erik looked at him though with a horrified expression " _Charles...I mean...I think I could try but...but…That would...That would...It would hurt,"_ He looked away from his only friend and down at his clenched hands, trying to force himself to relax. If they were to actually go through with this, he would need every ounce of strength that he had.

" _Please,"_ His best friend pleaded. " _Please Erik. You can't let it sit there. I don't want to lose you. I feel like I'm losing you. Please,"_ The older boy hesitated still.

" _Charles…"_

" _Erik please,"_ Charles interrupted him. He then sent a feeling through there connection, trying to push through to Erik exactly how he felt. How much and how quickly the bond is weakening. When the feeling faded away, Erik's resistance did as well.

" _Very well_ …" He sighed. Charles closed his eyes and Erik could feel him latching onto a memory a his. A good one. The only memory he had of his mother. But at the same time he was also giving Erik any spare strength he had, and with that boost, Erik started.

The metal in his friend's head sung to his senses, a comfort he rarely got, but it also deflected his powers. It was almost like it was a bar of soap in a shower. He just couldn't quite grab it. Then he felt something else. Somehow, there was steel in there. There was a drop of steel! Charles must have felt his excitement because he a little happiness bleed from his end of the bond.

" _I can do it Charles. Just...Brace yourself,_ " He warned the telepath. When he got a conformational nudge in the back of his mind he braced himself one more and latched onto the little, tiny drop of the familiar metal. Steel had always been _their_ favorite metal to use.

Slowly and steadily he started to pull it slightly down and towards himself. He heard Charles grunt in pain, but blocked him out. This would hurt Charles now, but it would be better in the long run. It would. Maybe if he kept saying it to himself he would believe it.

Charles grunts of pain quickly turned into barely repressed screams of agony as Erik continued to manipulate the metal inside his head. Thankfully they had put it above his skull and not under it, so at least Charles would be spared that pain. As the metal continued to move, it finally came to the just barely closed cut, stapled together with plastic staples. He steeled his resolve and did one lst big tug, effectively pulling the flat piece before curling it into a ball and making it fly to his hand. He finally opened his eyes and he instantly wished he hadn't.

" _Charles"_ He exclaimed.

Charles couldn't respond. He just need a minute. He needed to recover. The bond had come flooding back, and he was happy about that, but his head was screaming at him. The pain must have weakened his shields because he felt Erik recoil and worry wash over him. Distantly he could hear the other boy yelling, but everything seemed muffled and so far away. He couldn't focus.

To much. It was too much. Stop. Hurts. Pain. Help. Please. Stop. Can't breath. Please please oh god _please plea_ -

" _Charles!"_

He knew that voice. That voice was safe.

" _You have to breath Charles."_

Breath. Breathing was good.

" _Come back to me. You promised, remember?"_

No. He didn't remember. But the voice was safe. Safe meant no pain. No pain was good.

" _Just breath. You can do it. Just come back."_

He tried to follow the voices instructions, focusing on taking deep breaths. In and out. In and out. In and out. Slowly the world around him started to reappear. The voice said something once more, but he didn't catch it that time. He did try to turn his head towards it however, though he instantly regretted it.

Searing, blinding pain ripped through him once more and he flung his hand out blindly, only to have it get stuck in something. Making him struggle more.

" _I'm right here Charles. It's just me. You're safe. You're safe. You're safe."_ Something soft, damp, and warm grabbed his hand and then it all slammed back.

Erik sighed as he was suddenly able to breath again. A side effect of their bond running so deep was that they both felt everything the other did unless Charles blocked it, as he often did during his own sessions. But it meant that if the younger boy started to have a panic attack, Erik had to find a way not be pulled into it or else he would have one as well. He learned early on how to quell his fears and stay calm, to not let anything affect him until whatever they were doing was over.

" _E...Erik?"_ Came the hesitant voice in his head.

" _I'm here Charles,_ " He replied. He was meant with a whimper, both in his head and not.

" _I'm sorry. I didn't-"_

"It's okay. We are okay," Charles just gave a mental nod and held onto Erik's fingers as tight as he could with his own broken fingers. Small pains like that never bothered him anymore.


End file.
